File transfer is the transmission of a computer file through a communication channel from one computer system to another. Typically, file transfer is mediated by a communications protocol. In the history of computing, numerous file transfer protocols have been designed for different contexts.
Protocols
A file transfer protocol is a convention that describes how to transfer files between two computing endpoints. As well as the stream of
from a file stored as a single unit in a
file system, some may also send relevant
metadata such as the
filename, file size and
timestamp – and even file-system permissions and
.
Some examples:
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FTP is an older cross-platform file transfer protocol
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SSH File Transfer Protocol a file transfer protocol secured by the Secure Shell (SSH) protocol
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Secure copy ( scp) is based on the Secure Shell (SSH) protocol
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HTTP can support file transfer
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BitTorrent, Gnutella and other distributed file transfers systems use peer-to-peer
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In Systems Network Architecture, LU 6.2 and XCOM Data Transport are traditionally used to transfer files
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Many instant messaging or LAN messenger systems support the ability to transfer files
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may transfer files to peripheral devices such as USB flash drives
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Dial-up null modem links used XMODEM, YMODEM, ZMODEM and similar
See also
